The leaders of the Western Balkans gathered today in Tirana for a summit dedicated to the European integration of the region and the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
The participants of the summit were welcomed in the Congress Palace by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is hosting the meeting.
Prime Minister of North Macedonia Taljat Džaferi, Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Krišto, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić came to the summit.
Journalists did not see the leaders of Montenegro and Kosovo who participated in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Tirana yesterday. Albanian television ABC News reported that representatives of Kosovo and Montenegro will not be physically present and that Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti sent a video message to the gathering.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varheji and Secretary General of the Council for Regional Cooperation Majlinda Bregu are also participating in the summit.
After Edi Rama’s opening address, the summit continues without the presence of the media.
The summit is dedicated to the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which envisages financial support of six billion euros, of which two billion are non-refundable grants, and four billion are soft loans provided by the EU. The goal is to encourage the economic growth of the region and accelerate socioeconomic harmonization.
The plan, which was adopted by the European Commission in November, refers to the period from 2024 to 2027 and foresees that each government of the Western Balkan six receives a certain amount of money every six months, depending on the reforms it has implemented in that period, Beta news agency writes.
